Artsy Accessory

Let your creativity "serge" with this easy scarf. Keep it simple and elegant or jazz it up for an artsy look.

WHAT YOU NEED

1/3 yard of wool

Scraps of similar weight fabric (to test stitches)

Yarn or tapestry needle or thin bodkin

Couching yarn, silk ribbon or other embellishments

Decorative thread

All-purpose thread or coordinating polyester serger thread

Removable fabric marker

Seam sealant

Serger

Fringe Factor: Don't use felted wool because the scarf needs to fray to create the fringe.

Instructions

Cut the wool to the desired width (from 8" to 12") plus ½" to allow for tucking. Leave on the selvage to prevent fraying. Designate one short end as the scarf upper edge.

Mark 2" from each short edge on the fabric right and wrong sides to indicate where the decorative stitching ends and the fringe begins. Adjust the marks to accommodate more or less fringe, if desired.

Choose various decorative serger stitches and practice serging on the test fabric.

Position the decorative thread and embellishments over the fabric right side. Use a removable fabric marker to mark lengthwise stitching guidelines as desired (1). Remember that stitching outside the lines adds character to the scarf, while curved lines allow more room for error.

Disengage the serger cutter, if possible, to prevent cutting the fabric and trimming off decorative elements from the chosen embellishments.

Stitch rows of decorative stitches beginning along the upper-edge line. End the stitching at the lower-edge line (3). Hold the embellishment ends when pulling the threads away from the serger to prevent them from being pulled out of the stitches. Trim the serger thread and embellishments leaving a 6" tail on the scarf.

Stitch both scarf long edges with the wide decorative overedge stitch, beginning and ending at the marked lines.

Separate the thread tails from embellishments along the scarf ends. Trim the thread tails to 2". Using a tapestry needle or thin bodkin, weave the thread tails under the serger stitches to hide them (4). Use seam sealant on any loose thread or fraying edges. Pin the decorative thread and embellishment tails to align with the scarf ends to prevent tangling.

Position embellishments on the horizontal upper- and lower-edge lines. Coverstitch over the embellishments to secure (5).

Using decorative thread in the lower looper, coverstitch over a ribbon or ribbon yarn at each end along the scarf right side. Turn under the cut ends when they're reached. Stitch over all embellishments to secure. Keep embellishment edges away from the stitches.

Cut off the selvages from both scarf edges.

Pull the crosswise stitches from the fabric along both short ends to create fringe. Trim the decorative thread and trims to the desired length along the fringed edges.